U.Va. announces $30M+ allocations from Strategic Investment Fund

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan on Wednesday announced that the university will allocate more than $30 million in investments among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research projects and the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies.

Of the $30 million in funding allocated from U.Va.’s Strategic Investment Fund, $15 million will support STEM research in environmental resilience, sustainability, precision medicine, neuroscience and digital technology. An additional $16 million will go to the Woodson Institute, which is home to the university’s African American and African Studies interdisciplinary major.

“These investments will spur research across grounds, support faculty positions and help the University of Virginia recruit excellent students who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the student body,” Ryan said in a statement.

Proposals for STEM research funding can also include other disciplines through partnerships across campus. A formal call for proposals will come in January.

“U.Va. intends to build on our current momentum to become an international leader in these important fields of research,” Provost Liz Magill said in a statement. “This investment will help to keep us moving in the right direction.”

Founded in 1981, the Woodson Institute focuses on the research and teaching of African American and African studies. Of the $16 million in allocated funding, $7 million will endow the institute’s post-doctoral fellowship program and another $3 million will go toward a new endowed professorship. The remaining $6 million will be available as matching funds for three university bicentennial professorships.

“This is an investment in current and future students, in faculty, and in the breadth of research in issues that are important to U.Va. and to society in general,” Ryan said in a statement.

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